Three Card Monte (The Martian Alliance)

by Gini Koch

  Bullfrog cleared his throat again. He didn’t do that often, so I figured he was at least as nervous as I was, maybe more so. This wasn’t a comfort. “You think the Diamante Families will blame Polliworld? And…take action?” Which was a very diplomatic way of asking if Longdaddy felt the Diamante Families would declare another purge, focused solely on Polliworld. It certainly wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.

  “I believe this could happen, yes. Which is why I want you to fix it.”

  “Excuse me?” I managed to keep my voice somewhat level.

  “I want you and the rest of your ‘scientific team’ to figure out a way to ensure that things stay…roughly the same.”

  “What if, despite the evidence, Monte’s actually doing a legitimate business deal?”

  Longdaddy gave me one of those “you’re kidding, right?” looks. “What, in your experience with the Leech, would give you the impression he’s not pulling a Jumping Game?”

  I sighed. “Nothing. Look, before you threaten us with all the things you’ll do to us and the rest of our team if we say no, I’d like to get some more information.”

  “What makes you feel you’re in a position to bargain?”

  “Really? We’re going to play this game? Fine. We’re in a position to bargain because you need us. If you didn’t, we’d be dead in some way or another already.” I glanced up at the sky again. “From the distance we traveled and the fact that you have this place insulated really well, and also based on when I know Monte’s casino shifts normally change, we’re a lot closer to Amphibia than you want us to know. My guess is that we’re somewhere between the Space Center and the main part of town.”

  “Well done.” Longdaddy turned to Bullfrog. “If I believed she was really a Polliwog, I would tell you to marry her.”

  “She’s a Polliwog,” Bullfrog said. “Just not from around here.”

  “No, I understand she is not from around here.” He turned back to me. “You may ask your questions.”

  “Lucky me. So, why did the Diamante Families take part ownership in the Palace on Roulette?”

  “Rumor has it that they were displeased with the Palace making more money on average than the Diamante Families casinos.”

  “Sounds like them. Why was the Underground willing to let Monte come here to open the Polliworld Palace?”

  “Money.”

  “No other reason? You’re sure?” Money seemed so…ordinary. Then again, who was I to complain about a simple goal?

  “Yes, I’m quite sure. The Underground sees the casino as a way to allow them to expand off our planet.”

  “And Orion’s Light is supposed to be their first expansion point, right?”

  “Yes.”

  Time for the Big Question. “Who’s aware that the Polliworld Palace isn’t really in the black?”

  Longdaddy appeared mildly impressed. I didn’t know why. He’d shared this already, by confirming Monte had hired a lot of shills without the Underground’s knowledge. “Only a few. The Leech has done a good job convincing the Underworld that things are going well.”

  “But you have people in the casino who know differently. Do you know how the Palace on Roulette is doing without Monte there?”

  “The Palace was more profitable when it was being run by the correct being.”

  “Makes sense.”

  “Why isn’t the Polliwog Palace doing well?” Bullfrog asked. “We Polliwogs love gambling.”

  Longdaddy shrugged. “We apparently love to travel to another world that is very different from our own when we are gambling. There is no allure to a casino that anyone and everyone can visit.”

  Interesting. I’d never have guessed that, and clearly Monte and the Underground hadn’t guessed that, either. “Maybe over time it’ll have an allure. How many spies do you have in the Underground?”

  “Enough. Just as I have enough in the casino.”

  “And some in the Diamante Families, too, right?”

  “Yes.”

  I took the logical leap. “The Diamante Families are also going in on Casino City, aren’t they?”

  Longdaddy smiled. “I would be willing to consider interspecies marriage.”

  “Flattery’s a lot nicer than threats, so let’s stick with that. Can we trust him?” I asked Bullfrog. “After we do what he wants, I mean.”

  I didn’t expect an honest answer from Bullfrog. We were standing in front of Longdaddy, in his secret communications lair, without a lot of easy exit options. But I was very interested in Longdaddy’s reactions to the question.

  He laughed. And seemed unperturbed by the question and unworried about Bullfrog’s reply.

  Bullfrog shrugged. “Yes.”

  Longdaddy nodded. “Truthfully, you can trust me because I need to ensure that this problem is solved, and in the solving, that no blame can come back onto me and my people.”

  “Okay. Who are your people?”

  “All those who hide in shadows. As you do.”

  “I don’t hide in shadows.”

  Longdaddy smiled again, but this one was rather sad. “You do. Some shadows are transparent. But I understand that in order to survive you must lie to yourself. Oh, and since you asked before, I know you are not a Polliwog because one Polliwog went in to see the Leech…but two came out to No Frog’s Land.”

  He turned back to the screen. I was still the main thing on view. Though, because I did excellent work, Ciarissa was still the main thing on view.

  “I was on lookout at the rear entrance.” I ensured I sounded bored. “Your spies must have missed me.”

  “Oh, they believe they missed you. In part because you count a very strong telepath as one of your friends.”

  This was getting creepy and spooky both. I wondered if Bullfrog had told Longdaddy about all of us, somehow.

  “No idea what you’re talking about.”

  Longdaddy shook his head. “We are having this conversation here because, as you noted, it is well insulated and protected. As you and so many others with you are hidden, so am I hidden, even from those who have known me all their lives. I am hidden until things will change so that I need not hide anymore.”

  He was giving me a clue, I was sure of it. Longdaddy was no longer talking about me, or even Ciarissa, because he’d said so many others. He was right—out of our crew, we had all of one being who wasn’t hiding something in some way, and that was Willy. Sure, Bullfrog wasn’t hiding that much, but he was pretending to be Underground in order to keep all of us safe. And get us jobs.

  But Bullfrog wasn’t the one Longdaddy was talking about hiding until things changed. Longdaddy had been here too long to be a hidden shifter, at least, that was my impression, and no hidden shifter would be offering another hidden shifter these kinds of clues. We had our ways of spotting the few of us who remained, and nothing Longdaddy had done was in line with those ways.

  He wasn’t a telepath or telekinetic, because Ciarissa had taught us how to tell if we were being read, and we weren’t, and no one had tried to make our bodies do something we didn’t want. Sure, he could be hiding either trait, but I just didn’t think he was. So, did that mean he was referring to Roy and Kyle?

  Polliworld, like most of the inhabiteds, had a long history. It had gone through turmoil several times before the Diamante Purge, but had survived because the Underground were already in power.

  The answer came to me. “Polliworld used to be ruled by kings. But the Underground preferred a propped-up democracy over a monarchy because that gave them more ways to have power, especially if the current ruler was against them. The royal family disappeared. The general story is that they were smuggled off-world. But that’s not the truth, is it?”

  Longdaddy wouldn’t have been born, or maybe was a tadpole, when the Underground took over Polliworld, because that had happened well before the Diamante Purge. Meaning he had a grudge against the Underground and the Diamante Families both. Just like Monte did. But unlike Monte, Longdaddy apparently had
more to think of than himself. Just like Roy.

  Longdaddy smiled. “It’s good that we understand each other. You have proven yourself trustworthy to those in hiding,” he said to Bullfrog. “I hope for the same trust for myself.”

  Bullfrog had lost his Polliwog stone face—awe and shock had taken over his expression—but he nodded. “Yes…sire.”

  Longdaddy shook his head. “Not now. Not officially. And not until such time as what your ‘scientific team’ truly works for is done.”

  “You’re why we were able to come in so easily undercover!”

  Longdaddy chuckled. “It helps to have friends in low places.”

  “And high ones. Okay, we’re all on the same side, at least in grand, general terms. But if we’re going to fix what’s going on, we need more information.”

  “What else do you need?”

  “A better understanding of just what’s been going on, especially what Monte’s done and promised. And safe passage back to our ship.”

  “Anything else?” Longdaddy asked.

  “Yeah. Any suggestions you might have for how to solve your problem without getting exposed or killed, either you or us.”

  Longdaddy’s smile widened. “I sense the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

  Getting back to the Stingray involved more long walks through the underground hut path, but I’d been right—we were much closer to the Space Center than when we’d first entered No Frog’s Land.

  Bullfrog and I left Longdaddy well before the Space Center and were handed off from one Polliwog guide to another until we were back at the Stingray. Sure, we came into the docking bay via the employee’s entrance, but otherwise it was a relatively normal return.

  We were only going to be alone for a few seconds. “Bullfrog, did you tell Longdaddy about us? I won’t be mad at you if the answer’s yes, by the way.”

  “No, I didn’t. I didn’t know who he really was until we both found out today.” Bullfrog rarely bothered to lie, and I was pretty sure he wasn’t lying now.

  “Huh. Okay. Well, good.” Longdaddy knew who we were and what we were working for. And while all royalty knew or knew of each other somewhere and somehow, I doubted that King Oliver of Andromeda had been the one telling tales out of school.

  Which meant someone else had told Longdaddy about us.

  I considered this as we walked casually on board and were greeted with a lot of relieved expressions.

  “Ciarissa said you two were okay, but I wasn’t sure,” Roy said as he hugged me tightly, even though I hadn’t changed out of my Polliwog form.

  “We’re fine. We don’t have a lot of time. Some big things need to happen, very publicly, in a short time from now.”

  “What?” Roy sounded ready for action. Pity.

  “We can’t actually tell you. Well, we can tell you some of what’s going on, but not all. Not yet. I need Ciarissa, and you need to be ready to leave Polliworld the moment the two of us are back on the ship.”

  “What? You just got back and we weren’t sure what we were going to have to do to retrieve you both safely. You are not leaving this ship without me, and that’s final.”

  I heaved a sigh. “Come help me get into my Polliskin while we argue and you don’t win. Oh, and Ciarissa, please get into your Polliskin, too.”

  She smiled serenely. “Of course, DeeDee.”

  We went to our quarters, and I changed back into me. Because it hadn’t been necessary, I hadn’t done a complete shift at any time. I hadn’t moved my mind to the place where I didn’t know who I was, because I knew I was someone else. The shifts had been short enough that I hadn’t needed to. My mind was still fully my own, and therefore I didn’t need to complete a full shifting ritual or use my Mantra of Self to return to being me.

  Which was good, because despite the fact he was upset, Roy managed to kiss me deeply and remind me again why it was great to be his woman.

  “Thanks for getting the taste of fly out of my mouth.”

  “I’d gag, but I know you didn’t eat any. They have a distinct tang.”

  “And you know this how?”

  Roy grinned. “You’ve had to eat flies before.”

  “Okay, you get to keep your special parts intact.” I began struggling into the suit while Roy helped me.

  “Good. What’s going on?”

  “I can’t tell you. Yet. I can tell you once we finish helping Monte live up to his name.”

  “You don’t mean you’re going to be sucking someone’s blood. Do you?” He sounded just a little worried. Too bad I didn’t have time to laugh about this.

  “No. I mean he’s pulling the ancient three card monte routine, or as they call it here, the Jumping Game—but with land, not cards. And he’s doing it with the biggest players around, thusly endangering everyone if things went wrong. Which they were, until we showed up.”

  “We’re being played?”

  “I don’t think so. I think we’ve been recruited to be the third card, so to speak. And we’ll be getting paid. You just have to trust me and do exactly what Bullfrog and I tell you. And you have to let me and Ciarissa leave the ship. Alone. I promise we’ll get back safely, and if we’re in trouble, you’ll know.”

  “Great. I hate it when you don’t tell me what you’re doing.”

  “Oh, I can tell you what I’m going to do. I’m rigging Monte’s Jumping Game to ensure that it works and leaves everyone thinking they’re the winners.”

  Ciarissa and I left the ship and headed into the Space Center. She was still wearing the head covering that made her look as if she was from Convent. I’d shifted to human male, big and imposing enough, without any clear planetary distinctions, in the kind of suit favored by both Underground and Diamante Families enforcers. However, this look was also fairly common on Convent.

  We passed through the Spillway and went through customs via the Respite section. The clerk barely looked at us.

  Once in the Space Center, we headed to the Swampland Zoo. “Why are we going here?” Ciarissa asked quietly.

  “You know.”

  “You know I don’t…access…anyone on the crew without their permission. Some strong thoughts reach me, yes, but I don’t search for them. Speaking and reading are not the same things.”

  “I know.” I paid to get in and headed us to the Wild Nature of Polliworld section. It was crowded with beings from all over. Good. I noted where the exits were, as well as which door said Employees Only. “So, we’re going to admire the wild nature and you’re going to tell me the nature of your relationship with Longdaddy.” I watched her out of the corner of my eye. “Girl to girl.”

  There were enough people around, and we were speaking softly enough that it was unlikely we’d be overheard. Longdaddy had assured me that this section of the Swampland Zoo had its surveillance curtailed regularly.

  “Ah. What do you think you know?”

  “You’re the one who told him about us.”

  “This is true.” She moved off a few steps, as if we were honestly here to enjoy the exhibit. “He is trustworthy,” she said when I was beside her again.

  “I guessed. I don’t think you’re a traitor, because we’d all be dead already.”

  “No. I fight for what all of you fight for. He does as well.”

  “Yeah, I picked that up. How did you meet?”

  “The usual way, I suppose.”

  “There are no usual ways anymore.”

  She chuckled. “True enough. I met him in the same way you met Roy. I was in over my head and he helped me.”

  “He’s why you haven’t given Doven the remotest go-ahead sign, isn’t he?”

  It was a rare thing, but I did get to bear witness to Ciarissa blushing. “In a way. We are only close friends.”

  “You and Longdaddy or you and Doven?”

  “Both. While I would wish that circumstances were different, Longdaddy, as you call him, needs to ensure that his line, his pure line, continues. We both accepted that a long time
ago.”

  “And Doven?”

  “Why is this relevant?”

  “Because it’s the only time I’m ever going to get to ask without Roy or Doven or someone else overhearing. Because he’s worried about you being worked too hard, but Roy’s dismissed the idea, meaning that Roy doesn’t think he’s overtaxing you. But Doven feels you’re overtaxed. Meaning you’re keeping at least one being not on our crew advised of our activities and it’s draining your strength.” I looked straight at her. “I want to be sure of who you’re telling what, when, and why.”

  She didn’t turn toward me. “Much goes on while you are on assignment. The stirrings of what you and I are both trying to fix began well before your trip to Andromeda.”

  “How are you talking to Longdaddy when we’re out of this solar system?”

  “There are…ways.” Now she did turn to me, and I could see the exhaustion in her eyes. I was sure Doven had seen this, and I was equally sure no one else had, because both Roy and Dr. Wufren would have put Ciarissa onto medical rest if they’d caught a whiff of this. “They can be quite…taxing.”

  “How many others are involved in those ways?”

  “Fewer than you would think. It would be easier if there were more, but we are very spread out. All trustworthy. For the same reasons you are trustworthy.”

  “I want more than your word. I want the full explanation. I’m sorry, but under the circumstances, I can’t trust you like I once did.”

  Ciarissa nodded sadly. “I understand. Once trust is lost…” She heaved a sigh. “Espen was spared destruction during the Purge because we have always taken the side of noninterference, of neutrality.”

  “You have laws about it, yeah. And, I’d assume, the Espen government has some way to control all of you.”

  “It does, other telepaths screening for overt activities mostly. But there are some of us who do not feel noninvolvement is always the ethical choice. During the Purge, we worked with many resistance fighters, trying to help them. For the most part, we failed.”

  “For the most part, everyone failed. But, how did you avoid anyone knowing about your involvement? Especially the Espen government?”